Have one or two problems

[WillBoa]

Hi to all ,

I have a few problems which I hope my fellow Tr members can help or at least point me in the right direction .

 

 

I have a RHD 1960 Tr3A , which Ive had just under 3 years now .

 

 

Problem 1. Just sort of noticed or has got a little worse , that the steering is a little stiff ( I know that Tr3a`s are notoriously a little stiff compared to modern cars , but when the engine is not running and at standstill i can just turn the wheel to the left but turning to the right is nearly impossible and squeaking noises - is it steering column or steerring box ?

 

 

Problem 2. When I drive the car for a few miles lets say , I park up have lunch or whatever , come to start the car , on the third time starting , it will start , even though its done 50 or 80 miles , it never quite starts first time , its like its cold starting in early hours of a cold morning ( engine does turn over ). Is it the cellulite, spark plugs ?

 

 

Not so much of a problem , but where can one get stainless steel front bumpers at reasonable price - someone kindly nudged mine when reversing - no note of course !!! Also if you wanted to get a front cowl or wing - is Ex californian parts the way to go and if so where would one contact a seller ?

 

On a good note , if anyone does get the TR Action , will see a red Tr3A infront of an actual World War 11 Battle of Britain Spitfire , it just so happens to be my photograph and my TR3A also , my father ( Ben) wrote the story .

[ianc]

Stiff steering: it could be the trunnion(s). If not adequately lubricated, they can gradually seize and steering movement will become more and more resticted (in angle) and VERY heavy. Easiest way to check is to use a ball joint splitter to disconnect first one and then the other steering arm and see how much resistance there is to movement of each trunnion on its own with the wheels off the ground. If the trunnion is really seized, it may be impossible to unscrew it from the vertical link (I experienced this on a second-hand TR in the 1960s) and, in such a case, both items will have to be replaced as a pair.

 

Difficulty in re-starting could be the result of vapour lock - more likely if a tubular exhaust has been fitted - and/or leakage from the float chamber(s) - far more likely on the H4 and H6 carburettors because the sealing of the jet mechanism is very crude, HS6 is much better. When you stop, try popping the bonnet (no need to lift it open, just release the catches so that hot air can escape) - but don't forget to fix the catches before driving off! I find that, even when the engine is still warm, a little bit of choke is necessary just to get the engine to re-start, but I can dispense with the choke immediately the engine has fired.

 

Ian Cornish

[Kiwifrog]

I would also check the steering box oil level and adjustment. Quite often when the boxes are adjusted to take up wear in the straight ahead position when you turn full lock the pin chaffes on a less worn part of the worm. Jack the front wheels off of the ground to check. Would also agree with Ian to check the trunnions and top ball joints as they can cause stiffness in the steering when badly lubricated and the results of a snapped upright could be more expensive than a new bumper.

 

I believe Harringtons are the only crowd selling stainless steel bumpers.

 

Still waiting for the latest traction mag

 

Cheers

 

Alan

Edited July 18, 2010 by Kiwifrog

[Richardtr3a]

My 3A was always a poor starter for over 20 years. The Distributor doctor overhauled my distributor and it starts every time instantly, cold or hot. After 3 or 4 weeks it will turn over a few times first. It has never been such a perfect starter.

This was one of the best investments I made.

[TomMull]

Ian and Alan have given you good advice on on the steering and starting issues so I'll comment on the bumper and wing issues. I'll admit my bias before hand; I don't like "improvements" like rack and pinions, gear reduction starters, and now, god forbid, toyota transmissions on sidescreens. So, it's unlikely that I know where you can get a stainless steel bumper. As I see it, stainless bumpers have only one slight advantage over chrome, that one can polish out scratches and repair minor dents without the expense of rechroming. Otherwise it's all negative. To my mind, stainless steel just does not have the sheen of chrome. In addition, the few (one) I have seen did not seem to be anywhere near as heavy as the original. As for rust resistance, I've seen totally rusted sidescreens in fields with small trees growing through the floors that had bumpers with only a few rust pits, easily re-chromable. Used original bumpers, though usually showing at least minor blemishes but good for a driver, seem to be available. Repairs and re-chroming to show quality, though very pricey, can produce excellent results.

Wings seem to be more scarce, at least here in the States. I've been looking for a couple of them for more that a year now. The "California cars" were stripped bare decades ago. I bought 3 fenders (wings) on the Internet (all separately) that turned out to be only slightly better than my originals, so I'm still looking. Find a source where you can look at them before you by. Postage is so expensive that it's impractical to send them back if you don't like them. And photos are no match for your hand and eye. Be prepared to pay dearly, if you can find them, but to my mind they'd be worth as much as the reproductions. A good panel beater can do wonders with an old wing (and it will fit) but they are not inexpensive either.

The cowl (apron?) is much the same although rust seems to be less of an issue and dents more so. I’ve found that the best of them will need a good deal of dent removal. I think that Radford Panel in the UK made a repair piece for the lower part. Anyone over there on your side have experience with that?

Tom Mulliga

[RogerH]

Hi Folks,

regarding bumpers/rechroming etc, I think I am with Tony on this one.

Most metal finishers can straighten bumpers to virtually perfect condition.

The art of metal finishing, for the chroming process, is the polishing before hand.

I've heard that some places charge very high prices under the guise of high quality - may be so.

My local metal finisher - Colonnade Metal Finishers - in Wembly do neither high quality or low quality it is simply spot on every time.

They put a lot of effort in to getting the product right.

Pricewise - front bumper apprx £150 rear bumper a little more (this includes minor straightening).

 

When I dropped mine off I said to the chap they are pretty straight. He smiled at me and said "well! we'll straighten them a bit more then"

 

They can also sort out badly corroded items by building up with coper and polishing back etc.

 

No connection with the company just a very happy customer.

Roger